Best chipset for Linux laptop, Intel or AMD?
Best chipset for Linux laptop, Intel or AMD?
I’m considering picking up a cheapish laptop for development, with the intent of installing Linux on it. Typically it’ll be Java development or other stuff in docket containers. Is there a best chipset to pick for Linux or are they pretty much identical these days?
Depends on your goals but right now AMD is eating high end thin and lights for dinner. Their new APUs are more powerful, more efficient, and have better graphics than anything from Intel.
But Intel is also still good and very available with more choices and lower cost due to the higher demand for AMD.
Both are great Linux choices, but ARM/Apple are currently not great for desktop.
But AMD APUs are shit on Linux since theyre not really officially supported. I mean they have drivers, but the drivers are shit
Actually APUs are generally shit on Linux.
I have to disagree with you on that. While it is true, that intel laptop chipsets offer often greater linux support than the amd chipsets, both platforms support linux and are much more dependent on the manufacturer of the motherboard than on the chipset
With the second statement I totally disagree. I even would go as far as to suggest the opposite. Linux on laptos only makes sense for APUs, since switching between dedicated and integrated graphics is still a manual process and using only the dedicated graphics chip tanks the battery life
Steam Deck runs an AMD APU and it's phenomenal for the scale. I've run a ton of systems on APU's just fine.
AMD has better hardware support because they are more active in contributing than intel. Also, they have overtaken intel in terms of efficiency (price per watt, price per Hz)
But AMD doesn't update the microcode of their CPUs
Intel or AMD for the CPU, but AMD for the GPU if you need any graphical capabilities. AMD GPU's are pretty solid as well. There's definitely more choices available with Intel CPU's but if you can find a good AMD chip then go for it.
I've always been an AMD fan and used those in my desktops, but for laptops it's been harder to find something that pushes all the buttons for me.
On the flip side, if 3D graphics performance is not a priority then Intel graphics is incredibly well supported and is probably the most consistently reliable and bug-free graphics option.
Plus, if you're planning on using Wayland with any wlroots compositor, Nvidia is essentially a non-starter.
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 that is by now almost 10 years old, it runs perfectly on Linux and is a fantastic choice even today. It's built like a tank and that Intel i5 powering it is immortal. DDR3 RAM is dirt cheap now and it takes up to 16Gb, you can swap its HDD to a SATA SSD (if not done already) and batteries for it are still cheap and plentiful.
If you're looking for something affordable for software dev, I can't think of a better choice for $200-$300
https://www.lenovo.com/lt/lt/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430/
They really built this one right, they don't make them like this anymore.
And if you go just slightly older on Thinkpads, you get real keys.
you can get real keys by putting the t420 ones on the t430
I have a T440p, and it's worth noting that on many of these Thinkpads, not only can you replace the HDD with an SSD, but you can also install a 2nd or 3rd drive.
You can get a replacement tray that allows an SSD in the optical bay. You can also install a small cache drive in the m.2 port under the keyboard (again, only with certain ones -- T440p has it).
About the same, I have a Dell latitude E5470 with a i5 6th gen, 8GB, SSD, 14" IPS, less than $200, it's a superb laptop that was like $1500 new. MX Linux runs everything 100%
X220, 300 Dollars in 2021, with i7-2640m, never look back for now. I'm thinking buying L380, as I need Waydroid to debugs app. My Phone become shitty. I think I will buy new phone, but not now I guess? Thinkpad X220 expected to work til 2027
AMD has served me well since I've started actively using Linux.
Important thing to note, when using AMD, you'll probably need an additional
amd_pstateparameter for better power management.Sources:
Best bang for your buck, AMD 100%. Im not really a Laptop person, but I suggest going to a Pawn Shop. They sell laptops cheap as F, as they are always overloaded with them...
Doesn't really matter between brands across OSes at this point. AMD offers better performance per dollar though
I've never used AMD, but folks I know have had good experiences with both; support is about equal. You probably don't need to go for a top-tier device, and if you're running VMs and containers you should be just as concerned about RAM and disk space as CPU
CPU brand choice doesn't really matter a lot.
In general, I'd say go with AMD if you can afford it, but otherwise Intel is fine. Intel has caught up slightly the past couple of years, but AMD APUs are still at the top in terms of what you get for the money. If you can't get an AMD laptop because of low stock/price or see an Intel laptop with more features you like, just go for that instead. I have an Intel laptop and the CPU worked fine on Linux (running Windows right now since driver support for other parts of the laptop like speakers and the display were a little shoddy because of how new it was).
I don't know if this still remains true (if not, please correct me), but AMD will be marginally better for productivity and programming because of the multi core performance. They are also slightly more efficient than Intel in terms of power usage, although I'm sure any laptop besides a gaming laptop will give you solid battery life in 2023.
I'd say go for AMD because their APUs are excellent, but they will be expensive. You can find used/refurbished ThinkPads in really good condition for very cheap (~$200, see this thread where I learned about this), and most (all?) of them have Intel CPUs.
Anyway, right now Linux works perfectly well on both of them*.
*: If the kernel version is greater than 5.19.9 (issue first appeared with the 5.19.10) and less than 6.4, you'll likely have an annoying keyboard issue with Linux on new AMD Ryzen laptops, as typing will be extremely slow. That has been corrected now and with an up-to-date kernel you shouldn't have any keyboard issues on an AMD laptop.
I wonder the same, some time ago but for different reasons. If I have to buy a gaming laptop, what should I choose? Intel CPU and Nvidia was my best friend on Windows, but on Linux I'm totally unsure. I think AMD does a better job for gaming under Linux, but I have absolutely no idea if that's true.
Neither one of them have any particular Linux specific problems. Just get whatever suits your needs best.
If it's not Nvidia, it's good... Both Intel and AMD should work nicely.
It’s easier to find Intel NICs/WNICs in Intel based laptops, and it’s easier to find refurbished Intel laptops.
Also, check and see if the laptop is supported by LVFS.
I never ever had even the slightest issue with any Intel chips or hardware. With AMD on the other hand I always had problems from slow performance to unreliable functionality to straight up not working devices.